Though dried shrimp is used in many cuisines, from Asian to Mexican, it is also a traditional element in the Louisiana kitchen, used as a flavor-enhancer in long-simmered dishes and a salty snack known as Cajun jerky, which is good with a cold beer.

The process of sun-drying shrimp was introduced to Louisiana over a hundred years ago by Chinese and Filipino immigrants who saw the shrimp-rich region as an opportunity for export. Today, dried shrimp, though no longer sun-dried, is still a profitable industry, and, just as importantly, a sustainable one. Since Louisiana dried shrimp are all wild-harvested, not farmed, the process is not harmful to the environment.

Even in New York’s Chinatown, Louisiana dried shrimp commands a higher price than those imported from Asia, and they are a recommended alternative to the farm-raised type. For this gumbo recipe, use wild fresh shrimp as well, or wild frozen if fresh is not available.